A Meditation During Times of Uncertainty

2020 has been an incredibly intense year and for most of us there is so much uncertainty, leaving us feeling ungrounded at best. On days and in moments when I get stuck in my head, anxious about the future, I turn to a comforting mantra from Thich Nhat Hanh: I've arrived, I'm home. As Heraclitus said, the only constant in life is change, and 2020 is giving us no option to resist any longer. Being at home in your own body and mind, no matter what is going on in the external world, is the one space we can fully be at peace. 

Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that without suffering, we would not know happiness. Change, uncertainty and struggle are necessary to learning, growing and evolving. But we must take it all one day at a time; happiness and freedom are possible in the present. Use this simple meditation to be rooted in the here and now. 

The meditation

Set yourself up in a comfortable seat. Close your eyes and take a few cleansing deep breaths. Repeat the words (out loud or in your head): 

{Inhale}: I've arrived, I've arrived, I've arrived. 

{Exhale}: I'm home, I'm home, I'm home.

Repeat until your mind can settle into stillness, remain in your meditation for as long as you'd like. 

You can read Thich Nhat Hanh's full article here:

https://www.mindfulnessbell.org/archive/2014/09/i-have-arrived-i-am-home